Resi Guide to Solar Power

By understanding the basics of solar energy, your solar options, and the right questions to ask solar professionals, you’re well positioned to make the right decisions. [...] The main options available today are bulleted here and explained further below: Purchase a solar system (with cash or a loan) and own both the system and all the power it produces Lease a system, usually for a fixed monthly rate, and own all the power it produces Enter a "power purchase agreement" (PPA) to buy (in price per kWh) the electricity the system produces, which can change from mont. [...] You make monthly payments to the solar company at the agreed upon rate specified in the lease for use of the system. [...] Similar to a lease, a PPA is a TPO arrangement because the solar company owns the system, but some companies give you the option to purchase the system after a certain amount of time. [...] You may want storage to control when you consume the electricity generated by the solar system when your utility has the following: (i) rates that change based on the time of day; (ii) fixed charges based on your peak usage during a short period of time during the month that’s difficult to control without storage or (iii) compensation any excess electricity generated by your solar system below ret.